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Become the Ashton Kutcher of Subscription Swag, Before He Does

Ashton Kutcher is launching the first user-created subscription box from social commerce startup The Fancy

Photo: The Fancy

If you've always wanted to create your own monthly subscription box, social commerce startup The Fancy will now do the hard work for you. And here's the beauty part: They pay you a chunk of every sale.

Starting now, anyone – yes, you – can sign up to make their own Fancy subscription box. You can sign up by e-mailing myfancybox@thefancy.com and once they set you up, you get to pick from a list of popular products on The Fancy, or add anything else you like from the internet, so long as isn't deemed inappropriate by the startup's staff (think offensive t-shirts, weapons, or drugs). The Fancy says it is looking for all kinds of people to make boxes, says a company spokesperson. That might seem like a risky business decision, but the company won't procure any of the products for a box until one sells.

The Fancy will take care of the rest, including packing and shipping the box, and handling the transaction. You're expected to share your box on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social networks you use to get the word out (and bring more traffic to The Fancy). You keep half the profits from your box sales.

One of Ashton Kutcher's A+ boxes

Photo: The Fancy

Fancy gained attention last year as not only a Pinterest rival, where you could save images from around the internet, but also as store that actually sold most of the products that others had shared to the site. Instead of finding a cool product on Pinterest and then hunting around to buy it online, you can easily buy that leather bicycle wine rack you fell in love with right from The Fancy. That move to turn pretty pictures into revenue helped The Fancy raise a $26 million round of funding, and spark rumors that Apple was interested in acquiring the company.

In the fall of 2012, the company jumped on the subscription services bandwagon by offering monthly boxes of goodies from the site, picked by the staff. Now its opening that service up to anyone to make their own box.

The first user-created Fancy box hails from actor and investor Ashton Kutcher, who promises to fill his boxes with "the dopest stuff on The Fancy." Called the A+ box, the box contains $90 worth of stuff and sells for $45. From pictures of the first few A+ boxes, we see mustache bandaids, a bearded beanie, and a (probably faux) Chanel iPhone case.

Since anyone can create a new The Fancy subscription box, we're secretly hoping a few other Silicon Valley celebrities will sign up as well. There could be the "Best Dressed Tech Billionaire" box, filled with skinny ties and Scott Morrison denim, created by Jack Dorsey, who happens to be an investor in The Fancy; the "Chic Working Mom" box with a mix of stylish kids' toys and striped tops from Marissa Mayer; and the "Young Fast-Paced CEO" box by Box CEO Aaron Levie, with several pounds of coffee, the latest business read, and ear plugs.